"Kinky Boots" Walks All Over 2013 Tony Awards

by Lucy Troy

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre is more commonly known as the “Tony Award.” The Tony Awards recognize achievement in live Broadway theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and there is an award given for regional theatre. There are also several discretionary, non-competitive Tony Awards, such as a Special Tony Award.

The Tony Awards are considered the highest theatre honor given in the United States. It is essentially New York theatre industry’s equivalent to the Oscars for motion pictures, the Grammy Awards for music, and the Emmy Awards for television.

The 67th Annual Tony Awards were held on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in order to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2012–2013 season. CBS television broadcast the ceremony live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City with Neil Patrick Harris hosting for fourth time (his third consecutive year hosting).

I normally ignore the Tony Awards unless a film actor I like wins or is nominated. Tom Hanks received a “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play” for his performance in the play, Lucky Guy. He lost to Tracy Letts for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I did note that half the acting categories: Best Actress in a Play, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Play, went to African-American performers. Kinky Boots, with its score by 1980s pop music sensation, Cyndi Lauper, was the night’s big winner, receiving 6 awards out of a leading 13 nominations. Of course, Kinky Boots is based on the 2006 film of the same name, which is based on a true story.  I got the winners list from Vulture.com.

2013 Tony Awards – Winners (in bold) and Nominees:

Best Musical:
Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Kinky Boots WINNER
Matilda: The Musical

Best Book of a Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical, Joseph Robinette
Kinky Boots, Harvey Fierstein
Matilda: The Musical WINNER

Best Play
The Assembled Parties
Lucky Guy
The Testament of Mary
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike WINNER

Best Revival of a Musical
Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin WINNER
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Best Revival of a Play
Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? WINNER
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, ANN
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful WINNER

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Bertie Carvel, Matilda: The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots WINNER
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown: The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin WINNER
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen,Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy WINNER

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Carrie Coon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties WINNER
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Charl Brown, Motown: The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda: The Musical WINNER
Terrence Mann, Pippin

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin WINNER
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda: The Musical

Best Direction of a Play
Pam MacKinnon, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? WINNER
Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy

Best Direction of a Musical
Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin WINNER
Matthew Warchus, Matilda: The Musical

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
A Christmas Story, The Musical, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Hands on a Hardbody, music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; lyrics by Amanda Green
Kinky Boots, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper WINNER

Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty, The Nance WINNER
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
David Rockwell, Lucky Guy
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rob Howell, Matilda: The Musical WINNER
Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Scott Pask, Pippin
David Rockwell, Kinky Boots

Best Costume Design of a Play
Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
Ann Roth, The Nance WINNER
Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
Rob Howell, Matilda: The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella WINNER

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy WINNER
Donald Holder, Golden Boy
Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary
Japhy Weideman, The Nance

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda: The Musical WINNER

Best Sound Design of a Play
John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
Leon Rothenberg, The Nance WINNER
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin
Peter Hylenski, Motown: The Musical
John Shivers, Kinky Boots WINNER
Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Best Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda: The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots WINNER
Chet Walker, Pippin

Best Orchestrations
Chris Nightingale, Matilda: The Musical
Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots WINNER
Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, Motown: The Musical
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

* * *
Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:
Bernard Gersten
Paul Libin
Ming Cho Lee

Regional Theatre Award:
Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, M.A.

Isabelle Stevenson Award:
Larry Kramer

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre:
Career Transition for Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony

The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda the Musical on Broadway: Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro